Mastering Food Product Development: Insights from a Former CPG Global Research & Development Leader

Menu engineering is a strategic approach to balancing creativity, cost, and operational efficiency to craft a menu that works for your business and your guests. Learn how.

Often when I'm fishing, people catch bluefish or skate and throw them back. I always run over and ask to keep one or two. Bluefish are quick and easy to fabricate and a delicious dinner to prepare when I get back home from fishing all day. I prefer simply dredging in seasoned flour and frying pieces in olive oil & butter mixed together. Perfect with cold beer or white wine!

My first professional cooking job was as the poissonnier at Le Cirque in Manhattan. Occasionally the Chef asked me to make fried fingers (goujons) of flounder family meal. Being right out of culinary school, I set up the normal mise en place for standard breading; a tray of sifted flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Chef came over and taught me the quicker method... flour the seasoned fish in a bowl, add eggs to the floured fish (same bowl) and then breadcrumbs (same bowl). (one bowl and a fraction of the time)! To this day, that’s the method I use to make crispy, fried goujons-these photos are with bluefish fillets Junnie and I caught.

One of the more challenging classical seafood dishes I know of requires fabricating a whole fish in to perfectly even darnes, trussing the darnes and then gently poaching in a Court Bouillon. While the darnes are still quite hot, the pin bones need to be pulled (they are on a diagonal), the butcher twine needs to be cut away, the skin needs to be peeled and the seafood must be plated without breaking... and served piping hot with Sauce Hollandaise & boiled, tourneed potatoes. I repeatedly practiced this dish for the CMC exam with a whole salmon... quite the challenge!

One of the more challenging classical seafood dishes I know of requires fabricating a whole fish in to perfectly even darnes, trussing the darnes and then gently poaching in a Court Bouillon. While the darnes are still quite hot, the pin bones need to be pulled (they are on a diagonal), the butcher twine needs to be cut away, the skin needs to be peeled and the seafood must be plated without breaking... and served piping hot with Sauce Hollandaise & boiled, tourneed potatoes. I repeatedly practiced this dish for the CMC exam with a whole salmon... quite the challenge!

Learn the science of flavor pairing to create unforgettable dishes. Discover tips on balancing tastes, textures, and aromas to elevate your restaurant menu.

My culantro plant has gotten full & bushy in the warm, sunny greenhouse. I couldn't wait to make a batch of culantro sofrito for beans, rice, eggs and just spooning onto everything to give winter a little 'summer' spice! Sofrito is a very flavorful blend of garlic, onions, peppers, tomato, culantro, cilantro, oregano and a little vinegar chopped or pureed and seasoned to taste. I think every chef has their own recipe for sofrito. It's simply heated in oil and added to a variety of dishes to add amazing flavor.

The restaurant and hospitality industries are constantly changing & advancing, with new and evolving trends shaping everything from menu design to customer expectations. Tracking the ebb and flow of global trends can be expensive and time consuming. For restaurant and business owners like you, staying ahead of these trends isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s essential for growth and success. My team and I literally travel the world researching new and exciting ingredients, equipment, and recipes. In addition, we analyze data, read magazines and blogs, attend conferences, view social media, speak with cooks, chefs, and industry leaders to bring you top restaurant trends for 2025. Let’s explore how these innovations can drive your business forward. I first became aware of trends research while preparing to attend a Research Chefs Association (RCA) Conference in 2014. As VP of the Campbell’s Culinary & Baking Institute (CCBI), my team had begun researching trends to provide a culinary voice of innovation. At the suggestion of one of my chefs, we created the first ‘Trendscape’ report for the Campbell leadership and marketing teams. Since that first trends report in 2014, I have continued researching and charting the acceptance (or rejection) of exciting, new trends to inspire and influence future innovation for my clients. Following that, each year I hosted a cross functional team of food scientists, marketers, chefs and product developers to attend global conferences and study the gastronomy of the region we were visiting. We understood that conferences had large concentrations of inspiration and innovation! I’ve continued this practice over the past 15 years and document the trends from inception to recognized, to know when a trend is the right fit for a business. We are not necessarily looking for trends at exclusive restaurants or venues, but searching for trends where the people are eating - food trucks, QSR’s, markets, food halls, pop up’s, restaurants, etc. - to really understand what’s happening in the food world. Some recognized trends like sustainability are evolving to include newer trends such as upcycling. I am very interested in supporting sustainability and now enjoy working with several start-up companies which prepare upcycled foods that would work very well for chefs in busy restaurants. These are a few of the trends I’m happy to present in 2025. As chefs, we should have a passion for sharing information equal to our passion for food. Sharing culinary information and innovation so that we can all improve the food we prepare for our customers is what chefs are about. My Top 7 Restaurant Food Trends for 2025 1. Sustainability and Local Sourcing In 2025, sustainability is more than a buzzword—it’s a demand. Many customers expect restaurants to adopt eco-friendly practices such as reducing food waste, using local ingredients, and opting for biodegradable packaging. Farms are coming closer to the table, with some establishments even growing their own produce. How to Apply This: Partner with local farmers to source seasonal ingredients Use digital menus to communicate your sustainability practices Explore certifications like LEED for eco-conscious restaurant design TWG Consulting can guide you in implementing sustainable solutions that align with your brand values and improve profitability through efficient operations. 2. Upcycling Upcycled foods are foods that are made from ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away, and are produced using sustainable supply chains. Upcycling is a way to reduce food waste and create new, high-quality products. Upcycling can reduce waste and waste disposal costs, lead to creative menu inspirations, and improve brand image by telling your upcycling story. Here are some examples of upcycled foods: Vegetable products: Companies like Matriark Foods upcycle farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into vegetable products, soups, and sauces Croutons: Stale bread can be turned into croutons and bread crumbs Smoothies: Overripe bananas can be frozen and added to smoothies Other ways to upcycle food include: Using vegetable scraps like carrot tops, kale stems, and broccoli stems in soups, stocks, or as a garnish in salads Visit farmers markets or work with local farmers to purchase bruised or 'seconds' fruits and vegetables for soups, stews, condiments, preserving, etc. Often the cost is much less expensive for 'seconds' than for the more attractive fruits and vegetables Pickling watermelon rinds Making bone broth Sautéing the stems of leafy greens Regrowing your veggies in water Saving the leaves of beets, carrots, and radishes Making vegetable stock Using coffee grounds as fertilizer 3. Ingredients as Trends Sometimes a food trend can be based on a single ingredient and there are several poised to make a big impact in 2025.